While the energy and excitement of the 2014 MIB Convention seemed impossible to top, that is exactly what happened during the 2015 MIB Convention & Tradeshow. This year’s convention proved, once again, to be our best convention yet to date. Held July 16-18 at Big Sky Resort, MIB’s total convention attendance equaled last year’s numbers Read the Rest…

In 2014, the Montana State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) leveraged $585,000 in federal SSBCI funds to generate $1 million in private loans and investment for Montana small businesses according to the U.S. Treasury Department’s annual SSBCI report. These funds have supported loans made by financial institutions, which has led to the retention or creation Read the Rest…

To recognize upcoming leaders in Montana’s banking community, MIB honors one special young banker each year. The recipient of this award will receive free convention registration and three nights lodging at Big Sky Resort during the 2015 MIB Annual Convention, July 16-18, 2015, $100 in travel expenses, an honor plaque to display in his or her Read the Rest…

New Integrated Disclosures — August 1, 2015 is coming. Will you be ready? Soon your software vendor will be delivering software to you that you will need to test for the new Integrated Disclosure requirements. These new forms are complex to complete and non-compliance could be costly to your bank. Young & Associates, Inc. is Read the Rest…

(May 11, 2015) Missoula, Montana – Shannon Lukes has joined the First Montana Bank Commercial Lending team as Vice President in Missoula. Shannon is a native Montanan and has lived in Missoula nearly all her life. Shannon is a proud graduate of the University of Montana School of Business Administration and has been working in Read the Rest…

In a competitive market with free entry, bank size doesn’t really matter, but regulations can distortNew charts just released by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University paint a portrait of that concentration. As the charts show, the concentration trend did not begin with Dodd-Frank, but Dodd-Frank certainly won’t halt that decline either. At a recent Senate Read the Rest…

The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis has published a report on banking conditions in Montana and other states in the Ninth District. You can read the full report here. Montana banks likely to see a strong year in 2015 Montana banks are likely to see a strong performance in 2015, according to Ron Feldman, executive Read the Rest…

Montana Distributes 96% of SSBCI Funding to State’s Small Businesses The Montana State Small Business Credit Initiative had expended 88 percent of its current funding disbursement for small business lending and investment through Dec. 31 2013, according to the U.S. Treasury Department’s quarterly SSBCI report. Nationally, the SSBCI program has disbursed $1 billion of the Read the Rest…

The parent companies of two of Montana’s premiere community banks, Intermountain Bancorp, Inc. and Teton Bancshares, Inc., have entered into an agreement to merge. The subsidiary banks are First Security Bank, headquartered in Bozeman, and Teton Banks with offices in Fairfield, Choteau, and the Sun River Valley. It is anticipated that the parent-company merger will be complete in Read the Rest…

We at MIB were saddened to hear of the recent passing of two long-time leaders in Montana’s banking community. Donald Vondra was President, CEO, and Chairman of the Board of United Bank in Absarokee. While vacationing with friends in Mazatlan, Mexico, Don Vondra passed away Jan. 11, 2015, due to medical complications. In the summer Read the Rest…